Fire at Indio Walmart store blamed on solar panels

Solar panel fires may be uncommon, but it’s been deemed the cause of the fire at the Walmart in Indio. Thick black smoke billowed from the roof at around 10:30 Tuesday morning. Drone images show the solar panels engulfed in flames, which spread into the store.

Two firefighters and one associate were injured.

About a million dollars in solar panels and merchandise were destroyed, while customers and employees were evacuated to the parking lot.

Read: 2-alarm Indio Walmart fire caused by solar panels, caused $ 1 mil in damage

KESQ & CBS Local 2’s Lauren Coronado spoke with a Walmart spokesperson, who couldn’t tell her when the panels were installed, who the contractor is, or why the electrical malfunction may have happened.

“We are working closely with local law enforcement and fire investigators about gaining a better understanding to what led to that fire,” the Walmart spokesperson said.

We reached out to Vincent Battaglia, the CEO of Renova Energy Corporation, to find out more about fire dangers associated with solar panels.

“The Indio fire was a large solar array, it’s not a normal or standard array that most folks see on homes,” Battaglia said. “There are a lot of what we call DC arc issues, and I’m sure there was a DC arc issue on that rooftop, which could have been prevented.”

Battaglia said it’s important to hire an installer who is a general solar and electrical contractor which you can verify using the contractor state licensing board website.

He also recommends panels made of aluminum instead of steal and to avoid plastic and rubber materials. His final piece of advice was to get professional quarterly maintenance checks.

“If you follow those rules you will never have problems with a solar system,” Battaglia said.